June 22, 2010 - Xi'an

We had an interesting night on the train. The sleeping quarters were a little cramped, to say the least. It didn't take too long for the delegates to settle down, though. The leaders were a little punchy, though. We spent a bit of time just being silly. I laughed so hard that my sides hurt and I had to beg them to stop!

During the night, there was a spectacular thunderstorm, complete with lightning. It was fun to watch while traveling through the countyside.

I woke up early in the morning and got a view of the towns as we traveled toward Xi'an. I was really surprised at how many of the towns looked like they had been in the war. There were buildings with windows broken out and whole stretches of the area looked deserted. Then I would see a car or two and people working the fields, and I'd realize that there were people in the town. It really was sad.

When we arrived at the station, we were met by Melvyn, our additional guide while we're in Xi'an. We were able to come to the hotel for breakfast and had time to shower before heading out. It was so welcome after the night on the train.

We went to visit the wall and tower in the center of town. We were met with a traditonal welcoming ceremony which was really impressive. As part of the ceremony we were given keys to the city and a passport. After the ceremony was over, we had our picture taken with our welcoming group.

We came back to the hotel for lunch before heading to the school for our afternoon activities.

What a great time we had at the school! We learned more about their school and community, and were given the opportunity to talk about our home and schools. The delegates learned how to pronounce letters of the alphabet and say a Chinese tongue twister, and we taught them a tongue twister in return.

The students at the school planned a talent show for our benefit, and they did quite well. They danced and sang and played an unusual instrument. We had planned ahead and had practiced two songs for them, too. Li had taught us a simple Chinese song called "Two Tigers" which is sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques." The delegates became accomplished enough to sing it as a round! We also sang "Round on the Ends" and managed the harmony at the end!

After the indoor activities, we had our picture taken with them and then we had the opportunity to get involved with some sporting activities. They had basketball, hacky-sack, soccer, and jump rope. But the best part was that they had table tennis available. I took on a couple of the students, and I'm proud to say that I did fairly well. Not too bad for the old lady!!

We ate dinner at the school and returned to the hotel for a special treat. The delegates were able to swim for about an hour in the hotel pool. After the hot activies of the day, they enjoyed it immensely.

Tomorrow we'll see the Terra Cotta Warriors, and I hear we have a special treat in store.